Second-leg important, need to be strong from start to end, says Jamil

Idrissa Sylla headed in a stoppage-time header to help NorthEast United hold ATK Mohun Bagan to a 1-1 draw at GMC Stadium, on Saturday.

Panaji: After playing out a 1-1 draw against ATK Mohun Bagan in the first leg of the Indian Super League (ISL), NorthEast United head coach Khalid Jamil said that his side should now focus at the second-leg game as it is really important.

Idrissa Sylla headed in a stoppage-time header to help NorthEast United hold ATK Mohun Bagan to a 1-1 draw at GMC Stadium, on Saturday.

---

The second-half substitute struck in the fourth minute of injury time to cancel out David Williams’ 34th-minute goal. The result also meant Khalid Jamil is still unbeaten in the competition and extended NorthEast’s winning run to ten games.

“We are thinking about the next game. It is a vital point. We came back strongly because our players worked very hard. Britto, Sylla, Machado and even Gallego (did well) so we are happy to equalize. You can say it’s a vital point after trailing 1-0 in the first half. ATK Mohun Bagan are good defensively. It is not easy to break them. But we scored and that’s why we are very happy,” said Jamil during the post-match press conference.

“We see the availability of players, so according to that, we will put the players. We are not thinking about the early goals. We are thinking about keeping our concentration high in 90 minutes. Just go with the flow. That’s our main target. The second leg is important. We have to be strong from start to end,” he added.

AtK Mohun Bagan and NorthEast United would now lock horns in the second leg of the ISL semi-final on Tuesday.